City report · Indiana, United States
Indianapolis Air quality today
Air quality in Indianapolis currently reads AQI 114 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Air quality right now
AQI 114
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 40.9
- tree cover
- 12.1%
- trees in this area
- 37.4K
- more trees needed
- 70.7K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Mile Square, Indianapolis, IN, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 13, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Indianapolis · AQI 114 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups)
Indianapolis's tree count comes to 37,367 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land, 23 points below the 35% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 70,719 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Indianapolis today: AQI 114, Unhealthy for sensitive groups
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Indpls-Washington Pa, 3.7 mi (6 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
PM2.5
40.9
PM10
73.0
NO₂
33.4
O₃
0.0
SO₂
2.4
CO
1260.2
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- Outdoor exercise
- Children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise
- Windows
- Close them to keep the outside air out
- Mask
- Sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one, especially in bedrooms
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Indianapolis's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 15 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 11.
Where Indianapolis stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Indianapolis: Critically low
12.1% tree cover against a 35% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
37,367
Target trees
108,086
More trees needed
70,719
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,556 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Indianapolis lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Indianapolis has lost about 98 acres (40 hectares) of forest (about 74 football fields): 2.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2019: satellite photo from July 2019 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 98 acres (40 ha)about 74 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 85 acres (34 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2017, when about 12 acres (5 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2011 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2018 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2019 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Indianapolis?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 82 acres (33 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good2.5% · 2 acres (1 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good1% · under 1 ha
Also: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 26,000 acres (10,500 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 27,000 acres (10,900 ha)
- Overall change
- +981 acres (397 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Indianapolis grew from about 26,000 acres (10,500 hectares) to 27,000 acres (10,900 hectares), a net gain of about 981 acres (397 hectares) (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 1,140 acres (460 hectares), while 159 acres (64 hectares) were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Indianapolis
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Cincinnati158.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 75
- Dayton168.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 69
- Louisville171.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 54
- Fort Wayne174.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 91
- South Bend213.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 34
- Evansville233.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 56
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Frequently asked
Questions about Indianapolis
What is the air quality (AQI) in Indianapolis right now?
The latest reading for Indianapolis shows an AQI of 114 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Indpls-Washington Pa, 3.7 mi (6 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Sensitive groups should limit long or intense outdoor activity.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Indianapolis today?
At AQI 114 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups): children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease should cut down long or hard exercise. Windows: close them to keep the outside air out. Masks: sensitive groups: an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Indianapolis been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Indianapolis's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 15 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Indianapolis lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Indianapolis has lost about 98 acres (40 hectares) of forest (about 74 football fields): 2.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Indianapolis grew from about 26,000 acres (10,500 hectares) to 27,000 acres (10,900 hectares), a net gain of about 981 acres (397 hectares) (+3.8%). New forest grew on about 1,140 acres (460 hectares), while 159 acres (64 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis has an estimated 37,367 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.36 km²) of land measured — 12.1% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 35% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Indianapolis need?
Indianapolis needs roughly 70,719 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 35% tree-cover target — about 1,556 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Indianapolis's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mile Square, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Mile Square; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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